


My American Pie

by jjsoc10



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dancing, M/M, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:44:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7315687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjsoc10/pseuds/jjsoc10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stucky AU set to the lyrics of American Pie by Don McLean. Rating and warnings are for later chapters. Tags will be updated as more chapters are posted. Also up on my tumblr (haloedbarnes).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 _A long, long time ago  
_ _I can still remember how that music used to make me smile  
_ _And I knew if I had my chance  
_ _That I could make those people dance  
_ _And maybe they’d be happy for a while_

 

* * *

 

For as long as he can remember, Steve has never had a dance partner.

It’s not for a lack of effort; every time he and Bucky go to the halls, he asks at least one girl to dance. Usually it’s someone Bucky introduces him to, or someone he spots lounging at the end of the bar. But once they get a proper look at him - all 5-foot-4-inches and 95 pounds of him - they all say no. Every. Single. Time.

Tonight is no different. Steve watches from the bar, nursing a drink as Bucky kisses the knuckles of another girl and leads her onto the dance floor. His head is cocked to the side, the telltale smirk on his lips as he leans in to say something - no doubt that she’s beautiful, or some cheesy shit like that. Steve takes another sip of his drink, trying to ignore the pang in his chest at the sight of them swaying back and forth.

Steve’s not _jealous_ of Bucky, not really. He can understand why girls go for him. He’s tall, handsome, and too charming for his own good - not to mention he’s a great dancer. In another life, Steve might’ve gone for him too.

A sudden clattering catches Steve’s attention, and he looks down the bar to see a pretty girl hastily grabbing at a glass she’s just knocked over. No one else seems to notice, so he sets his drink down and heads over, snatching up a wad of napkins on his way.

“Here, let me,” he says, wiping up the liquid. The girl blushes.

“Oh, thank you. I’m such a klutz.”

“No, no, I’ve done this before.” Steve finishes cleaning up the surface and extends a hand. “I’m Steve.”

“Mary.”

Steve shoves his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. “So, uh, are you here with anyone?”

Mary shakes her head quickly. “No, my girlfriends made me come with them.” She giggles in that high-pitched, slightly obnoxious way that some guys find endearing.

“Yeah, my friend dragged me out too.” Steve pauses and takes a deep breath. _It’s now or never, buddy_. “Do you...do you maybe want to dance with me?”

Mary gives him a wide-eyed look, like she’s shocked he would even ask, and for a brief moment Steve thinks he might finally get his shot. And then she opens her mouth.

“Oh, Steve. Thank you for asking. Really. But, um...dancing’s not really my thing.”

Steve’s heart plummets as she smiles at him, trying to let him down easy. “That’s okay. I, uh, hope you have a good night.” He gives a half-hearted wave, ready to head back to his seat and sulk.

“You too, Steve. And thanks again for your help.”

“No problem.”

Steve walks back to his spot at the bar, surprised to see Bucky standing there waiting for him. He can’t help but feel a small sense of relief when he notices the girl Bucky was dancing with is nowhere to be seen.

“Heya, punk.”

“Jerk.” Steve grabs his drink and downs the rest of it in one gulp. “Where’s your friend?”

“Who, Dot?” Bucky shrugs. “She was nice, but not really much of a talker. I left after the song ended.”

“Hm.”

“That girl didn’t want to dance?”

“Yeah, said she wasn’t into it.”

“Really.” Bucky’s staring down the bar behind Steve, and he gets another sinking feeling in his stomach. Turning around, he catches sight of Mary giggling again and accepting the arm of a handsome young gentleman in military dress.

“Well,” is all Steve can say. He thumbs the side of his glass, suddenly wishing he hadn’t finished the drink. Bucky gives him a sympathetic look that Steve hates.

“Steve, I -”

“It’s okay, Buck. It’s no big deal.” Steve huffs out a sigh of laughter. “I mean, girls aren’t exactly lining up to dance with someone they might step on.”

Bucky’s mouth is set in a hard line as he gazes down at Steve. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Steve doesn’t need to be told twice; he grabs his jacket from the chair, slinging it over his shoulder as he follows Bucky through the crowd of people. It’s only a few blocks to their shared apartment, and the walk is spent in silence. Steve knows Bucky can tell he’s disappointed at how the night turned out, but Steve is too stubborn to say anything and Bucky is too polite to mention it.

Once Bucky closes the door behind them, he makes a beeline for the small, beat-up radio sitting in the corner of the small living space. The first few notes of Glenn Miller’s _Moonlight Serenade_ fill the room as he shrugs off his coat. Steve dumps his unceremoniously on the couch, eyeing Bucky suspiciously.

“What are you doing?”

Bucky gives him a mischievous look, that same smirk from before playing on his lips. “You here with anyone?”

“What? Buck, I - I live here. With you.”

“Hm.” He extends a hand and realization dawns on Steve. “You wanna dance?”

Steve puts his hands on his hips, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto his face. “James Buchanan Barnes. Are you making fun of me?”

“Of course not!” Bucky looks mildly offended. “I just want to dance with you, is all.” He steps closer, tugging Steve’s left arm gently away from his side. Steve complies, allowing Bucky to thread their fingers together.  
  
Bucky’s right hand settles onto Steve’s hip, and Steve brings his up to Bucky’s upper arm as they start to sway to the music. They’re the perfect height for each other; Steve doesn’t have to stretch to reach Bucky’s shoulder, and Bucky’s arm is neatly tucked around his waist. As the music continues to play, floating around them like a dream, Steve can’t help but enjoy the fact that he finally got his dance.


	2. Chapter 2

 

 _But February made me shiver  
_ _With every paper I’d deliver  
_ _Bad news on the doorstep_  
_I couldn’t take one more step_

 

* * *

 

“Steve?” Bucky calls from the kitchen table, stirring some sugar into his coffee. “Will you grab the paper?”

“Sure,” Steve says from the adjoining living area, folding over the corner of the page in his book. He stands from the couch and makes his way over to the door, shivering in the cold burst of air that wafts in from the hallway. The newspaper sits on the mat outside, the plastic wrapping slightly damp.

Steve picks it up, gently peeling off the plastic and wadding it up. He tucks the ball into his pocket as he unrolls the paper and turns back into the apartment. The first headline makes him stop dead in his tracks.

Bucky glances up from the kitchen table at the sound of the door slamming shut. “Steve?”

The smaller man is still frozen in shock, his eyes the only part of him moving as he scans the article. Bucky stands now, concerned.

“What’s going on?”

Steve lowers the paper slightly to stare at Bucky, eyes wide. “We’re going to war.”

“ _What_?” Bucky leaps forward, snatching the paper out of Steve’s hand. “I can’t believe this.” He runs a hand through his hair, messing up the normally pristine style. He’s so preoccupied with reading that he doesn’t notice Steve’s demeanor change until he opens his mouth.

“I’m going to enlist.”

Bucky’s looks at him like he’s grown another head. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

“I said, I’m going to enlist.”

“Why on earth would you want to do that?”

Now it’s Steve’s turn to look shocked. He thought Bucky knew - he’s met Steve’s parents, for crying out loud. “Because it’s the right thing to do,” Steve says, jaw set. “They’re gonna need all the help they can get, and I can’t just sit here and wait while other guys are out there putting their lives on the line.”

“Steve, you _can’t_.” Bucky’s stunned expression is quickly morphing into panic as he realizes how serious Steve is. “You’re - you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

Steve bristles at his words, knowing that Bucky means well but unable to let himself be controlled by rationality. “What the hell, Buck?” He knows he’s small - hell, he’s been reminded of that all his life - but he never expected it to come from Bucky. “Why me over anyone else?”

“Because -” Bucky drags a hand across his face, and Steve can almost see him trying to come up with a way to say it gently. _Just spit it out, Barnes_. “Because I can’t lose you, you idiot.”

Steve actually a takes a step back, because that wasn’t what he was expecting _at all_. “What?”

“You’re my best friend, punk. And it’s gotta be pretty bad over there, if we’re getting involved, and I just...I can’t stand the idea of you going and putting yourself in danger like that. Not if you don’t have to.”

“I...I guess I didn’t…”

“Didn’t think about that?” Bucky lets out a short laugh. “Lemme ask you this - what would you do if I said I wanted to enlist?”

“But you wouldn’t,” Steve says automatically, because he _wouldn’t_ \- and that’s when he understands. The thought of Bucky leaving, of Steve having to live without knowing where Bucky is or what he’s doing, makes chills run up his spine. And then another thought hits him like a baseball bat.

“Bucky,” he says, his voice clipped. “What if...what if you get drafted?”

Bucky’s expression immediately softens, and Steve can tell the thought’s crossed his mind too. Steve won’t be drafted; as much as it pains him to admit it, the government doesn’t want someone like him in the army. But Bucky, on the other hand, is a prime candidate.

“Steve, we just declared war, no one’s said anything about a draft yet -”

“But you just said yourself, it’s gotta be pretty bad if we’re getting involved.”

“How about we figure it out if it gets to that?” Bucky says, smoothing out the newspaper where he’d creased it in his fist. “I mean, I don’t wanna say that I won’t, but there’s no guarantee that I will, either.”

His words do very little to calm Steve, but he’s right, there’s nothing they can do. He does know that if Bucky is drafted, the first thing Steve’s going to do is find a way to get over there - but he won’t tell Bucky that, not yet. Instead, he gives Bucky a small smile.

“We’ll make it work. Whatever happens.”

Bucky nods. “Whatever happens.”

The conversation is far from over, but Steve is content to let it die for the moment, heading back over to the couch to pick up his book. The tension hangs over the room like a blanket, but he and Bucky both ignore it. Steve is unable to concentrate on the words on the page, his desire to enlist not completely gone, but for Bucky’s sake he plans to hold it off for as long as he can.


End file.
